Awesome Wednesdays

I've been doing a lot of reading lately, both professional and personal, and there is a theme that's running through both: being outside in nature is more critical for people than ever.  We are living in a time in which  we have at least one of our "gadgets" with us almost everywhere we go, and in which we turn to technology many, many times daily, constantly interrupted by beeps and signals announcing new emails, texts, etc. It is a time in which  information is immediate and communication is instaneous, and patience is required far less than ever. Due to this technological "progress," engaging in activities during which we can focus on the present moment and slow down time are more important than ever.  Furthermore, it appears that being outdoors and in nature is the perfect prescription for the "ailments," that time with this technology can bring; namely, lack of impulse control, lack of empathy and compassion, and weaker social skills.  Apparently, nature inspires awe, and awe-filled moments actually stimulate the parts of the brain that have to do with self-control, self-satisfaction, and this leads to, at least temporarily, increased gratitude, compassion, and empathy toward others.  Who knew?

Perhaps the scariest thing in all of this is that we have to read literature written by Ph.D's to advise us to get our children outside and  take a walk in the woods! Beatrice loves books, she loves to draw, she loves TV more than I care to admit, she loves pretend play and boy oh boy does she love pbskids.org, select "movies" from Netflix, and Daddy's iPad...all things she can do in the house.  We try to moderate her time with  media and technology, but it is a slippery slope for sure. Aside from going to the playground or a few other select activities, she rarely chooses to play outside, and fusses at the suggestion, which drives us kind of crazy, although once out there she generally enjoys herself. So Anthony has decided that he's going to use his precious Wednesdays, the day Beatrice is not in school, to get her outside, at least while the weather is nice.

 My mother had 4 out of 5 babies in the winter time, and she believed that from the day we came home, we needed a minimum of 15 minutes a day outside breathing fresh air, and believe me the time increased exponentially when we were of school age. (She was a woman ahead of her time, recycling and reusing everything long before it was trendy to do so!) She boasted that she bundled us up and put us in a carriage and sat us on the porch when we were only days old, wanting us to get used to the air and being out. When we were older, she would kick us out to look at clouds if we proclaimed ourselves "bored" and we would groan, and we eventually knew better than to even ask about watching TV if it was a nice day out. ( Apparently, she thought TV and rain went together.)

So here's our little flower child, out at the Audubon center just a few miles away from our house. We are so fortunate to live here in beautiful southern New England where hiking trails, lakes, and woods abound.  She whimpered over the jeans and a deal was struck enabling her to, upon return, change into one of her beloved skirts or dresses and finish watching the Dr. Dolittle movie we started watching weeks ago, but out she went for an outdoor adventure, which reportedly was a blast, and hopefully provided even a few moments of awe.